Rugby Union: Olver coy about Saints' virtues: Steve Bale looks forward to Northampton's challenge to the order of Bath today

ADVERSITY as therapy is an old sporting cliche. Northampton, whom everyone except Northampton have been billing as Bath's closest challengers for the Courage championship, meet the title holders at Franklin's Gardens this afternoon claiming to be happy - well, sort of - to have lost to London Irish last week.

If that unexpected defeat has scraped some of the gloss off today's fixture, Northampton could hardly care less. 'We have been written up as league contenders prematurely and unfairly,' John Olver, the captain and hooker most likely to replace the injured Brian Moore in the England team, asserted yesterday.

'There is a wish among the media, among players and among clubs for someone else to take over from Bath because it's all becoming a bit boring - and we have been pushed into the limelight. But I very much doubt if we are going to win the league, because when the pressure was on we showed we weren't up to it.'

This may seem a hurtful truth, but not to Olver, whose side eked out unconvincing wins over Bristol and Saracens before falling to the Irish. 'There's been a lack of enjoyment,' he explained. 'People have tended to go out with the attitude we can't lose and this has stifled our play. Losing last Saturday was like having a millstone removed from our necks. Perhaps we can now relax and enjoy our rugby like we did last season.'

Then, Northampton's chances were not overblown and, partly in consequence, they went within an ace of the title. 'No one targeted us and we sneaked up nice and quietly,' Olver said. 'Now I'm trying to play down this ill-gotten status. People will call me a miserable old bugger but I don't like it and neither do the players.'

Olver's Saints almost had Bath's measure in an epic cup-tie last season. The trouble for all Bath's opponents is that when crises come, as they often have, the champions are unrivalled survivors. Their famous esprit de corps has served them well enough to win the league three times in its five seasons and the cup seven times out of nine. 'I feel we are clearly way above every other side in the league at the moment,' Andy Robinson, the Bath captain, said.

No false modesty there. Robinson, recovered from a hamstring injury, makes his first league appearance of the season. His side are, unfamiliarly, in second place in the First Division but have a game in hand over the leaders, Wasps, who have won three from three compared with Bath's and Orrell's two from two.

Wasps go to Rugby today unable to play the England stand-off Rob Andrew for four months and with the Dean Ryan incident against Harlequins continuing to hang over them. The Middlesex disciplinary committee is still investigating the blow with which Ryan, the Wasps captain, laid out Simon Dear and further action cannot be ruled out.

In Wales Cardiff's revival, which has so far been at the expense of the Heineken League First Division's lesser teams, will be under close scrutiny at Llanelli. The leaders and champions, Swansea, are at Pontypool, where they lost last season. The Scottish champions, Melrose, are at Stirling, and the All-Ireland League kicks off with champions Garryowen entertaining St Mary's College.